There has never been a time when the demand for faraway trips was as high as that on the occasion of the April 30th - May 1st holidays this year, after the tourism industry had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic for a long time.

Many young people in Hue taking the faraway trips during the holidays of April 30th - May 1st. The photo showing the young woman Xuan Loc in her days of experiencing the Southwest Region of Vietnam. Photo provided by the character

“Booking tours, making plans and then canceling. Not until now has the trip finally become a reality,” many families eagerly shared about the trip on this occasion after many times of scheduling and postponing because of the pandemic outbreaks which resulted in closed tourist areas and transport suspension. Besides families, many young people also make their own way of traveling, in groups or individually, to satisfy their passion after the extended “movement restriction”.

Ms. Xuan Loc, a 28-year-old young woman working as an office worker in Hue City, decided to enjoy her holiday by taking a solo trip to the Southwest Region. Ms. Loc said that she would spend the whole 4 days off to go to provinces such as Soc Trang, Hau Giang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau.

“It's been a while since I could travel, so I feel comfortable taking a trip. This is like a reward for myself after a series of stressful working days and the pressure of the pandemic,” said Ms. Loc and joked that she would spend all her youth traveling, for taking a trip in the future would be either more difficult after she gets married and has children or not as enjoyable as solo-traveling.

Choosing Mang Den – a famous tourist destination likened to “the second Da Lat of the Central Highlands" (in Kon Plong district, Kon Tum province) – as a destination for his family’s vacation more than two years ago, not until now has that wish of Mr. Nguyen Bon (Hue City) finally come true. In the past two years, he had regretfully postponed his trip due to social isolation and travel control against COVID-19 pandemic, despite many times of planning, booking, and renting a car.

"Not until now could the whole family feel secure and comfortable to get in the car to travel together after nearly 2 years of being secretive and stressful,” said Mr. Bon, adding that this is an opportunity for the whole family, especially the little ones, to enjoy the comfortable moments and have fun.

Traveling more than 300km from Hue to Mang Den, Mr. Bon said that he encountered many families, including many young people, traveling by car and motorbike. "Everybody is excited and cheerful," Bon said, adding that his family would stay for 2 days at a pre-booked homestay, and then make arrangements depending on the weather. 

On this occasion, the family of Mr. Nguyen Cong Van (Hue City) also enjoyed quality time gathering together at a coastal resort in Da Nang which, in his words, was very meaningful. According to Mr. Van, it took his whole family 2 years to make the complete journey although he only traveled more than 100km from Hue. He said he had booked rooms and accompanying services twice, but the pandemic broke out on both occasions. The entry and exit regulations between the two localities, therefore, were tightened to ensure safety against the pandemic, which forced him to cancel the tour.

“The outbreak of the pandemic after Tet holiday seemed to last for so long that we didn't know when we would be able to go on a trip. Fortunately, however, the pandemic has recently been almost controlled, and tourism has reopened. Therefore, my family decided to plan a vacation for everyone to enjoy,” said Mr. Van.

Spending 3 days in Da Nang, according to Mr. Van, is an "indescribable joy". His whole family had fun and experienced many interesting services, so everyone was excited, just like relieving the psychological burden after a long time of being unable to travel.

Not only traveled to Da Nang, his whole family also moved to Hoi An for visiting and having a walk. "Seeing the tourism being revived, people traveling and having fun, and everyone smiling is very exciting,” confided Mr. Van.

Unlike Mr. Van's family, Ms. Quynh chose to go on short-distance trips by private car. Many other Hue families chose to travel further to Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, or other even Southwestern provinces. In spite of the fact that traveling on holiday is difficult and the price of services is expensive, very few people would mind, believing that traveling on this occasion is not only fun but also helps stimulate tourism.

Story and photo: Nhat Minh